It took just one goal in Philadelphia for the Flyers to get the better of their heated rivals Pittsburgh Penguins at home and end their series in six games.
Four of the teams' first five games of the series saw five or more goals scored in what was a fascinating battle. In contrast, game six had just one goal, which came in overtime.
A frenetic first period saw a total of 23 shots, with the Penguins having 12 of the attempts. However, neither team could put the puck over the line. While both teams had a power play in the opening frame, they were successfully killed.
It was more of the same in the second period, though the Flyers had more chances 10-7. The Penguins had a man advantage early on, but did not make the most of it.
Philadelphia started the first two minutes of the third with a power play, but once more, nothing came of it. Beyond that, it was the Pens, who needed the win to force a game seven at home, who carried much of the play. Outshooting the Flyers 13-5, they could not find their way past Daniel Vladar.
Overtime was needed to decide the winning team, where the guests created more chances as they desperately looked to keep their season going for at least two more nights. Yet, none of their 10 shots on goal went in.
With two and a half minutes left in the first extra time period, Philadelphia scored their winner. A shot from just inside the blue line from Cam York went in off the post, completing the series victory.
The Flyers move on for the first time since 2020 to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in round two. The Canes, who topped the Eastern Conference standings, swept the Ottawa Senators in round one.
Canadiens beat Lightning to near progression
Game five between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens once again did not disappoint. For the fourth game in a row, the winning side, this time being the Habs, prevailed 3-2.
Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring for the guests three minutes into the contest. Alex Newhook had a shot when heading towards goal, but missed the target. The puck came right back to him before he passed it to Brendan Gallagher in front of goal, who converted from inside the goaltender crease.
It took until the 6:49 mark of the second for Tampa to tie things up. Dominic James made the most of his opportunities to get the Bolts on the board. A moment later, however, the Bolts were back behind, when Kirby Dach did it himself by carrying the puck towards goal before finishing his opportunity.
The back-and-forth contest saw the Lightning tie things up towards the end of the second through Jake Guentzel, who forced a two-on-one before firing it past Jakub Dobes.
Despite being outshot 40-24 in the match, the Habs retook the lead just a minute after the second intermission. Alexandre Texier was afforded too much space to receive the cross-ice pass from Lane Hutson to score and silence the home crowd.
Even with 18:54 left in regulation, Montreal were able to hold on despite the onslaught from the hosts. Nearly half of their shots in the game came in the final frame alone as they tried to find another leveller.
The teams will reconvene at the Bell Centre on Friday, with the Canadiens now one game away from moving on to face the Buffalo Sabres or Boston Bruins in round two.
Golden Knights edge Mammoth
Brett Howden netted the double-overtime winner for the Golden Knights against Mammoth in a dramatic 5-4 triumph, with Pavel Dorofeyev also scoring the first playoff hat-trick of his career.
Vegas now lead Utah 3-2 heading into Game 6 between the two sides on Saturday.